Membership

What membership is

Membership is optional. Individual, institutional and organizational arrangements may be considered for researchers and groups publishing with Open Access Pub. A written agreement defines the people, journals, period and publication costs covered. Membership fees are separate from the article processing charge for an individual accepted manuscript.

It exists because paying for each article separately is administratively awkward for a department publishing several times a year, and because some institutions prefer to hold publication costs centrally rather than on individual grants.

Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts.

What membership is not

A manuscript from a member is screened, reviewed and decided on exactly the criteria that apply to every other manuscript. Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal.

• Membership does not make acceptance more likely; editorial decisions remain independent of membership.
• Membership does not shorten peer review or move a manuscript ahead of any other.
• Membership does not affect reviewer selection, the number of reviewers, or the standard applied.
• Membership does not affect how an article is presented, indexed or promoted after publication.
• Membership carries no editorial role and no expectation of one.

Who membership is for

Individual researchers

Researchers who expect to publish more than once in a given period and prefer to settle costs once rather than per article.

Departments and institutions

Universities, research institutes, hospitals and public-health bodies that want publication costs held and budgeted centrally rather than on individual grants, with a nominated representative to confirm affiliations.

Organizations

Bodies whose staff publish in the publisher's journals and that prefer a single arrangement covering them.

Membership is one way of paying, not the only way. Editorial assessment follows the same criteria for members and nonmembers. The standard article processing charge is set out on Article processing charges.

Terms

Membership categories, the fee for each, the period covered, what the arrangement covers and how it renews are set by the publisher's membership office and confirmed in writing before anything is payable. Ask for the current terms before joining, and read them in full.

A membership inquiry should ask the office to confirm, in writing:

• The membership category and exactly who it covers — one named researcher, a department, or an institution.
• The fee, the currency, and what taxes apply.
• The period the arrangement runs for, and the date it starts.
• Precisely what it covers: which journals, how many articles, and what happens beyond that number.
• What is not covered, including any article type or charge that falls outside it.
• How the arrangement interacts with the article processing charge for an accepted manuscript.
• Whether it renews automatically, and how to end it.
• What happens to a manuscript already under review if the membership lapses.

How to ask

Write to [email protected] with the subject line Membership inquiry, saying whether you are asking as an individual, a department or an institution, and roughly how many articles a year you expect. The office will send the current terms.

Membership correspondence is handled by the publisher and does not reach the editors who assess manuscripts. Questions about a manuscript under consideration go to the editorial office and are answered separately.